If the reader enters a kind of immersive experience reading a book, then I have to enter a kind of immersive state to do my best work.

Angela Carter's fiction blew me away and really instilled a passion for writing, bolstered by Vladimir Nabokov. But in general, I can't point to any one thing. I just always loved books and writing.

What I envy about musicians is, they have this more direct relationship with the audience. They don't have to go through words. Sure, the lyrics count, but they go more immediately into your brain. There's so much more work you have to put in as a writer - not just with the actual book, but how it's packaged and everything.

I've always wrestled with the difference between plot and structure, and after re-reading a lot of writing books I realized I wasn't alone.